The cultural thread surrounding Monovero by José Martínez Ruiz Azorín is observed this year with significant milestones. 2023 marks the 56th anniversary of the author’s passing in Madrid on March 2, and also honors the 150th birth anniversary of Azorín, born in Monóvar on June 8, 1873. This centennial of ideas and literary influence continues to echo through discussions, exhibitions, and commemorations across Spain and beyond as scholars, institutions, and readers reflect on his enduring contribution.
The year opens with a notable gathering in Istanbul, where a ceremonial program unfolds on Thursday. The event features the Azorín Novel Award, a collaboration between the Alicante Regional Assembly and Planeta publishing house. The award highlights a corpus of contemporary narratives that align with Azorín’s spirit of observation and social insight, recognizing 206 novels that resonate with readers and critics alike.
Azorín’s childhood sins
Asaute tribute
In parallel, a moment of quiet tribute to Azorín is planned by the Asaute Cultural Association of Alicante. The group will journey to Monóvar as part of an organized program led by Professor Antonio Diez Mediavilla, a scholar from the University of Alicante. The homage emphasizes Azorín’s enduring relevance for new generations and the local memory of his beginnings.
The remembrance activities commence at 10:30 in the morning with a guided visit to Monóvar Cemetery to pay respects at the author’s grave. The ceremony will include remarks by the town’s mayor and by Professor Diez Mediavilla, who will offer insights into Azorín’s life and its regional roots.
WEA Conference
The Society for Monoveros Studies, known by its acronym AEM, has scheduled a conference titled Our Famous Citizen Azorín for Friday at 3 pm. The gathering will feature remarks by Francisca Limorti Aracil alongside a display titled Azorín en imagines by Rafael Poveda Bernabé. The program underscores Azorín’s impact on literature and on the cultural identity of Monóvar and its surroundings.
The conference venue is the Azorín House-Museum on Calle Salamanca. Attending dignitaries will include José Corbí Martínez, president of the AEM, and Luís Boyer Cantó, president of the Mediterranean Foundation. The day will also feature the presentation of a facsimile edition of Azorín’s Agenda, a publication that captures the writer’s routines, notes, and reflections in a tangible historical format. The Monovero Studies Association will oversee the event and its program, reinforcing the scholarly network around Azorín’s oeuvre.
The same afternoon will offer further opportunities to explore how Azorín’s work informs contemporary thought about memory, locality, and the social fabric of early 20th century Spain. The discussions aim to connect past literary practices with present-day readers, encouraging new interpretations of Azorín’s narratives and essays.
female characters in the Azorín
On a separate note, Mediterráneo Foundation has organized a conference for Thursday, March 9, focusing on the portrayal of female figures in Azorín’s writing. President Jordi Bermejo, a scholar of Spanish literature from the University of Alicante, will lead the session at the Azorín House-Museum starting at 7:00 pm. The discussion seeks to illuminate the roles, voices, and perspectives of women within Azorín’s literary world, offering contextual analysis that situates his characters within broader social and historical currents.
Across these programs, the aim is not only to honor Azorín but also to invite contemporary readers to engage with his texts in a setting that blends memory, scholarship, and community life. Through museum tours, panel discussions, and annotated reproductions, visitors gain access to the textures of a writer who helped shape regional and national literary identities. The year’s events therefore function as both remembrance and invitation—an invitation to rediscover Azorín’s prose, essays, and letters with fresh eyes and in dialogue with today’s readers and researchers.